Five get jail term by NIA court for promoting Islamic State ideology, spreading terror in India

New Delhi: Five people, including two women, were on Monday given varying jail terms by a special NIA court here in a case relating to a conspiracy by the banned Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) group to promote the ISIS ideology and spread terror through acts of violence in India.

One of the accused was charged with planning to establish a caliphate in India and conspiring to carry out 100 improvised explosive device (IED) blasts in a single day through out the country, a statement issued by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said.

The Delhi Police Special Cell had on March 8, 2020 arrested two accused -- Jahanzaib Sami Wani and his wife Hina Bashir Beigh -- from Okhla Vihar, Jamia Nagar, for their affiliation to the ISKP, a part of the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), it said.

The duo had plans to commit subversive/anti-national activities in India. The NIA had re-registered the case on March 20, 2020 and had taken up the investigation.

The NIA had during its investigation arrested two other persons, Sadiya Anwar Shaikh and Nabeel S Khatri, from Pune on July 12, 2020. Further investigations led to the arrest of Abdur Rahman alias Dr Brave in August 2020.

The trial against Abdur Rehman alias Dr Brave is continuing, the statement said.

An MBBS student from Bengaluru, he had been radicalised by the other accused persons and had travelled to Syria in December 2013, the probe agency said.

In Syria, he had participated in various terrorist activities of the ISIS and had learnt to develop a medical application for treatment of the ISIS terrorists and also a Laser Guided Anti-Tank Missile application for the ISIS, it added.

"The NIA special court, New Delhi, on Monday pronounced varying jail sentences against five persons accused in a case relating to a conspiracy by the banned Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) group to promote the ideology of ISIS and spread terror through acts of violence in India," the statement said.

In its order, the NIA court sentenced accused Jahanzaib Sami to varying periods of imprisonment, extending from three to 20 years, along with fine.

He was charged with planning to establish a caliphate in India and conspiring to carry out 100 improvised explosive device (IED) blasts in a single day through out the country, it said.

The NIA investigations had revealed that the accused was also raising, receiving and providing funds through crypto currency to promote the ideology of the ISIS, a banned global terror outfit.

"Sami was also involved in exploiting the sentiments of gullible youth to fuel the anti CAA/NRC protests," the statement said.

Widespread protests were staged over the enactment of Citizenship (Amendment) Act or the CAA on December 12, 2019 and on a proposal for the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 paves the way for granting Indian nationality to undocumented non-Muslim migrants -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

Whereas, the NRC envisages a national register of Indian citizens.

The second accused, Hina Bashir Beigh, has been sentenced to seven years in jail each for two offences under sections 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or the UA (P)A, by the NIA court.

She had professed to be a member of the ISIS and had helped her husband to identify like-minded persons to carry forward the terror organisation’s nefarious agenda against India, the probe agency said.

"Abdullah Basith has been convicted under sections 38 & 39 of UA(P)A, and has been sentenced to the period already undergone by him," it said.

As per the NIA investigations, a self-professed ISIS member, he had helped accused Jahanzaib Sami in preparing the ISIS Magazine "Voice of Hind".

Accused Sadiya Anwar Shaikh has also been convicted to seven years each for offences under sections 38(2) & 39(2) of UA(P) Act, as she had professed to be a member of ISIS and had tried to bring all the terrorist groups under the banner of the ISIS.

She had also tried to procure a suicide jacket through accused Jahanzaib Sami, the NIA probe in the case has revealed.

Nabeel Siddick Khatri has been convicted under sections 17, 38 & 39 of UA(P)A to 15, eight and eight years, respectively for providing funds to accused Jahanzaib Sami for procurement of weapons.

He also conducted preparatory blasts in connivance with Jahanzaib Sami to further the ISIS ideology.

Khatri will have to pay Rs 2.5 lakh fine or serve an additional two years in jail in case of failure to pay the fine imposed under Section 17 of the UA(P) Act, the statement said.